Interracial Couple Claims to be Victims of Hate Crimes

They say it started out with racial slurs and then escalated into threats in a church parking lot.

Ministers of a southern Kentucky church say they’re victims of hate crimes.

It's a small country church in rural Wayne County. But the ministers Cornelius Duncan and his wife, Maggie Anna, say no one comes here anymore. They claim a man they've filed a criminal summons against drove all the worshipers away because of his alleged actions.

“Racial slurs and threats and yelling and he even went as far as to reach for something like a weapon,” claims Duncan.

Duncan is talking about Bobby Abner. Duncan says between June 2005 and August of this year, Abner showed up at church functions and at Duncan’s property, yelling racial slurs, making obscene gesture. He says Abner even once even made a threat overheard by another church member.

“[He] told us that he indicated that he was literally coming in the church to beat us up, “ said Duncan.

Bobby Abner says there is no truth to these accusations. He says Duncan is angry with him because he once told Duncan to stop dumping something on his father's property.

Duncan denies that, and he says the motivation for all of this is simple.

“It's hate, “ he says. “He just hates me because of the way I look. Because of the color of my skin and the marriage with my wife.”

The criminal summons accuses Abner of criminal mischief and terroristic threatening. Both parties are due in court next week.

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